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George Couros
Principal
Parkland School Division
Stony Plain, AB w: 780-963-7366
Canada h: 780-974-3326
gcouros@psd70.ab.ca

My Website: http://georgecouros.ca

Vision
As we move forward in education, we must ensure that we give students the opportunity to be creative,
collaborative, and critical thinkers, while also being able to pursue their passions and interests. As a
leader in education, it is essential that I collaborate with all stakeholders to create an environment that
is flexible and gives all students the opportunity and support to achieve excellence. We must create an
environment where students are proud of their community and culture, valuing the difference of others,
while still creating opportunities to partake and succeed in a global environment. As a leader, I must
role model and help to build a culture of learning, collaboration, and innovation. Believing that all
stakeholders can possess these same qualities, I want to create an environment where we are all
leaders.

Education
University of Phoenix
Saskatoon, SK, Canada Sep 2005 - Apr 2007
Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction

University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK, Canada Sep 1999 - Apr 2001
Bachelor of Science, History/English

University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon, SK, Canada Sep 1993 - Apr 1999
Bachelor of Education, Elementary Education

Work History
Parkland School Division
Stony Plain, AB, Canada Aug 2006 - Present
Division Leader
• Co-facilitator of the “Great Leaders, Great Teams, Great Results” leadership training for
Parkland School Division, based on the work of Stephen Covey. This is an ongoing role
with the school division.
• Currently leading session with school based administrators on the effective use of Social
Media to improve student learning and create self-directed learning environments.
• A co-facilitator for PSD in the area of assessment and member of the Alberta
Assessment Consortium.
• Facilitated professional learning opportunities for PSD teachers in the area of technology
integration, with an emphasis on effective use of SmartBoard and Senteo technology.

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Forest Green School/Connections for Learning (K-12)

Stony Plain, AB, Canada Aug 2009 - Present
Principal
• Worked to develop strong relationships with students, staff, and parents through a belief
in, and focus on, open communication. Created the Forest Green School Website, Forest
Green Blog, along with editing and creating both the Forest Green and Connections for
Learning Newsletters.
• Fostered partnerships with the School Council and helped them communicate their
school involvement through the use of the school website, along with
presenting Cyberbullying and Web 2.0 Technologies, as a way of informing them of
emerging trends in education.
• Shared information with parents and staff regarding school initiatives that are based on
current and future school community needs through open communication.
Communication included monthly newsletters and conversational media through the
Forest Green School Blog.
• Collaborated with staff to create extended learning experiences in the area of sports (team
and intramurals) and the fine arts. It is essential that students have an opportunity to
succeed in areas outside of the core curriculum.
• Authored a blog/portfolio site to understand the benefits and implications of this type of
learning for our students and staff. Through this transition, several of our staff have
started their own personal blog sites, while every teacher hosts a classroom blog.
• Designed a Professional Development program that builds upon the strengths of our
staff. This program has been highly successful within our school and has our staff very
engaged in their learning. The time for guided conversation has been extremely valuable
to ensure that our practice has become transformational for students.
• Developed in collobaration with the Forest Green School community, a school council
after several years of not having one within the school. This has been an important
element of creating a positive and collaborative school culture.
• Partnered with parents and staff to help create the 2010-2011 Education Plan. This was
a fantastic opportunity for our school to build upon the vision together.
• Focused on the priority that “Every child is a leader”, as defined by Stephen Covey’s,
“The Leader in Me” book and developed ample opportunities for our students to be school
leaders.
• Administered division programs such as the Early Years Alternative Program (EYALT) as
well as Balanced Literacy. These are programs that are used by all of Parkland School
Division, yet are run from Forest Green School.
• Used our school budget to ensure a safe environment and support learning initiatives
within our school.
• Worked with all schools to ensure successful placements for several students with the
Connections for Learning program.
• Facilitated the successful transition of Parkland School Division’s Stony Creek Program
from Muir Lake to Forest Green School. This work with the parent and staff community,
along with a transition team led by an outside facilitator, ensure the program continued to
prosper.
• Teamed with the Paul Band First Nation community to ensure students from the area
have continued success at Forest Green School. We have also ensured that we have
continuously infused FNMI culture into our school sites through our work with Paul Band
and our FNMI Liaison.

Muir Lake Community School (K-9)

Stony Plain, AB, Canada Aug 2007 - Jun 2009
Assistant Principal
• Worked with all staff at MLCS and promoted an open dialogue to continuously improve
our school to
best serve students.
• Modeled and encouraged hard work, risk taking, and commitment to division and school
goals.

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• Worked diligently with the staff and principal to implement and promote a model of
shared leadership
within the school.
• Lead administrator for the Stony Creek Program and worked intensively to facilitate a
move to a
new building within Parkland School Division. Led a transition team to help build and
maintain
the best program for the students of the Stony Creek program.
• Facilitated the MLCS Student Council which has a main focus on building relationships
within the
school community through its activities.
• Organized a grade 7-9 fine arts trip to New York that included parents, staff, and
students traveling together.
• Worked with all school stakeholders to help develop the MLCS Education plan for
2009-2011.
• Lead facilitator and AISI coordinator in the area of technology integration. This led to the
development of an in-school professional development plan that was very successful in
the area of technology integration.
• Implemented an effective model of teacher supervision for MLCS.
• Trained and supported teachers as technology leads in both the early years and middle
years settings.
• Developed and coordinated scheduling for all teachers from K-9, ensuring that course
delivery was aligned with the Alberta Education framework.
• Collaborated with all stakeholders to develop an Options program that best meets the
needs of students, while educating them on emerging trends in the future.
• Developed with the School Council chair a proposal to successfully secure funds for
emerging technologies at Muir Lake School.

Greystone Centennial Middle School (5-9)

Spruce Grove, AB, Canada Aug 2006 - Jun 2007
Technology Integration Coordinator
• Collaborated with teachers to successfully integrate technology into core curriculum
while developing their own learning in the area of using technology to enhance learning.
• Worked with students from grade levels 5-9 to successfully implement an advisement
program that looked at various societal needs and how they intersect with fostering a
positive school environment.
• Created a technology integration schedule to ensure all students had an opportunity to
meet ICT outcomes.
• Worked successfully in a team teaching environment teaching all core grade 7 subjects.
• Developed and delivered complementary courses based on student needs and Web 2.0
technologies.
• Worked with the GCMS School Council to share information with all stakeholders.
• Instituted several short in-services for staff development dealing with different aspects of
technology integration.
• Delivered an informational session to parents on how to teach students to connect safely
with others using the Internet.

Presentations
• Alberta Technology Leaders in Education- Pre-Conference Keynote (November 2010)
• Parents as Partners - Successful planning of Education Plan working with parent leaders
(November 2010)
• Using Social Media for Transformative Teaching & Learning - ERLC (November 2010)
• 2010 Reform Symposium: Keynote – Identity Day: Revealing the Passions of Our
Students (August 2010)
• NYSCATE 2010 Leadership Summit – You Have Leaders On Your Staff; Use Them! (July
2010)
• Defining Personal Learning Enviroments – Post and Presentation (Barcelona, July 2010)

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• University of Regina Presentation: Leadership and Moving into the Field of Education (April
2010)
• Forest Green School Parent Advisory Council: Benefits of Web 2.0 and Cyberbullying
(January 2010)

Projects
• Connected Principals (Creator/Contributor)
• Connected Principals Quick Thoughts (Creator/Contributor)
• Forest Green School WPMU Portfolio Site (Creator/Contributor)
• Examples of Student Innovation (Creator/Contributor)
• Bam Radio Network – Commentator

Skills and Attributes

• Have worked in education for 12+ years with students and staff from K-12.
• Hard worker and committed to achieving goals.
• Proven skills in building relationships, leading others, and developing leadership capacity.
• Tremendous knowledge in the area of technology integration. I have developed many
tutorials for schools and school districts i within education, and have enjoyed working with
many different teachers in helping them gain knowledge in implementing technology into
their own classrooms.
• Leader in the area of effective assessment practices as well as the implementation of
eportfolios.

Quote from a parent advocate

“...our school principal, George Couros, has such an amazing vision for our school, I am positive that
my children will get far more out of their education than I did. They will be engaged in their education,
and they will be free to express themselves... they will be creative and know how to collaborate and
work as a team. They are being taught to be critical thinkers that make great decisions. Isn’t that what
we want for our children, who will one day be leaders in their communities? Let's ensure that they have
any tool necessary to help them succeed in life.”

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